Magic Light’s ‘Revolting Rhymes,’ Studio A.K.A.’s ‘Hey Duggee’ and Blue Zoo’s ‘Mamoon’ also among the top honorees.
LONDON -- In a night of surprises with an eclectic mix of winners, the top honors at the British Animation Awards were scooped by the ever-popular children’s series The Amazing World of Gumball, which took home four statues.
Held March 15 at London’s BFI Southbank, the ceremony was hosted by comedian, actor and BBC Radio 4 News Quiz host Miles Jupp, and attended by the great and good of British animation. The BAAs are the only awards to recognize all forms of animation and honor the finest achievements in the genre produced in this country over the last two years.
Teresa Gallagher picked up the award for best voice performance for her portrayal of Nicole in The Amazing World of Gumball: The Choices. The Amazing World of Gumball triumphed again in the best children’s series category, which it also won in 2016, and was picked out as the favorite among young animation fans for the Children’s Choice Award, sponsored by Mattel.
The prestigious award for Best Long Form was won by Magic Light Pictures’ adaptation of Roald Dahl’s book Revolting Rhymes. The Best Short Film sponsored by The Elf Factory was awarded to Will Anderson’s Have Heart.
“Once again the standard of entries for the British Animation Awards has been incredibly high and gave the various category judging panels a real headache,” says BAA Director Jayne Pilling. “It’s great to see such an eclectic mix of animations winning, which showcases the amazing depth of creativity and innovation in the British animation industry.”
Held every two years, the British Animation Awards reward the very best new and established British animators across a variety of categories including short films, animated graphics for film and television, children’s series, music videos and commercials.
The full list of winners follows:
- Best Long Form: Revolting Rhymes -- Jakob Schuh & Jan Lachauer; Magic Light Pictures
- Best Voice Performance: The Amazing World of Gumball, “The Choices” -- Teresa Gallagher as Nicole; Great Marlborough Productions for Turner Broadcasting System.
- Best Children’s Series: The Amazing World of Gumball, “The Copycats” -- Mic Graves & Ben Bocquelet, Great Marlborough Productions for Turner Broadcasting System.
- Best Pre-School Series: Hey Duggee, “The Tadpole Badge” -- Grant Orchard; Studio A.K.A. for CBeebies
- Music Video: Mr. Jukes (ft. De La Soul & Horace Andy), Leap of Faith -- Parallel Teeth; Strange Beast for Island Records
- Commissioned Animation: Breast Cancer Awareness: Check 'Em -- Neil Kidney & Morgan Powell; Seed Animation for Breast Cancer Awareness
- Best Short Film: Have Heart -- Will Anderson; Wanderson
- Best Animation in a Commercial: James Wellbeloved, Mega City -- AGAINSTALLODDS; Passion Animation Studios for AMV BBDO
- Best Film & TV Graphics: Travel Channel Little Journeys, Hiker -- Dog & Rabbit; Dog & Rabbit for Scripps Networks
- Best Sound: Neck and Neck -- sound by David Pringle, music by Alex Harwood, directed by Shaun Clark; MewLab
- Best Short Form Original Content: The Totems, “Family Song” -- Mark Taylor; A Productions for Sesame Studios
- Best Expanded Animation: My Name Is Peter Stillman -- Lysander Ashton; Fifty Nine Productions
- Writers Award: Counterfeit Cat, “Sardonians of the Galaxy” -- Ciaran Murtagh & Andrew Barnett Jones; Wildseed Studios & Tricon Films and Television for Disney XD and Teletoon
- Craft Award: Mamoon -- Ben Steer; Blue Zoo Animation Studio
- Student Achievement: A Love Story -- Anushka Kishani Naanayakkara; National Film & Television School
- Student Film: The Day After the Party -- Diyala Muir; Royal College of Art
- Favorite Music Video: Katie Melua, Perfect World -- Karni and Saul; A Sulkybunny production for BMG
- Favorite Film (tie): Mamoon -- Ben Steer; Blue Zoo Animation Studio. Poles Apart -- Paloma Baeza; National Film & Television School
- Children’s Choice: The Amazing World of Gumball, “The Copycats” -- Mic Graves & Ben Bocquelet; Great Marlborough Productions for Turner Broadcasting System
Source: British Animation Awards
Tom McLean has been writing for years about animation from a secret base in Los Angeles.
